Sunshine advances coronavirus drug program

• Sunshine Biopharma advanced its lead coronavirus PLpro inhibitor into IND-enabling studies.
• The candidate showed antiviral activity against SARS-CoV-2 variants in preclinical testing.
• The company is preparing the program for potential future clinical development.

Sunshine Biopharma (NASDAQ:SBFM) advanced its lead coronavirus PLpro inhibitor into IND-enabling studies after preclinical testing showed antiviral activity against SARS-CoV-2 variants.

The company said the small-molecule candidate demonstrated nanomolar potency against the viral protease and broad-spectrum activity in laboratory studies across SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern.

Preclinical studies showed favorable absorption, distribution, metabolism, and excretion characteristics, including high oral bioavailability in animal models and preferential lung enrichment in mice and rats.

In K18-hACE2 mice infected with human SARS-CoV-2, repeated oral dosing of the candidate produced dose-dependent reductions in pulmonary viral replication, according to company-reported data.

Sunshine Biopharma develops pharmaceutical products focused on oncology and antiviral therapies, including small-molecule drug candidates.

The PLpro inhibitor program remains in preclinical development as the company evaluates its potential for future clinical testing and regulatory submissions.